Venetian blind structure



July 17, 1951 E. E. scHAEr-ER 2,551,141

VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Filed March 10, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

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Patented July 17, 1951 UNITED STATES TENT GFFICE VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Application March 10, 1949, Serial No. 80,734

Claims.

This invention relates to an improved Venetian blind structure and more particularly to a novel means for detachably securingy Slat-supporting tapes to the upper and lower rails of a Venetian blind.

In the conventional Venetian blind construction a horizontal upper tilting rail is provided and secured thereto are a plurality of depending slatsupporting tapes, e. g. ladder tapes comprising pairs of parallel tapes connected at regular intervals by cross-linking rungs. The horizontal slats of the blind are supported by the rungs of the ladder tapes, and the tapes are secured at their lower ends to a horizontal bottom rai-l. A tilting mechanism is provided for tilting the upper rail to open and close the slats of the blind. Operating cords for raising and lowering the blind extend downwardly through openings in the slats and are fastened to the bottom rail.

Venetian blinds, as is well known to housewives and other users thereof, require periodic cleaning and washing, particularly when the blinds are iinished in light colors. Although Venetian blinds are available in which the slats are removable for cleaning purposes, no means has ordinarily been provided for readily removing the Slat-supporting tapes. In the usual construction, the tapes are more or less permanently secured to the upper and lower rails, for

example, by nails, screws, staples, or other fastening means. As a result, it is only with considerable difficulty that the Slat-supporting tapes can be removed for cleaning, and the removal procedure involves the danger of tearing the ends of the tapes and the necessity of replacing the nails, screws, staples, or other fastening means when the blind is reassembled. Accordingly, readily detachable Slat-supporting tapes are a highly desirable adjunct to the modern Venetian blind thereby permitting soiled tapes to be removed for cleaning or dyeing when it is desired to change the color.

One object of the present invention is to provide a Venetian blind construction in which the Slat-supporting tapes may be readily removed for cleaning or dyeing and may be reassembled with ease.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tape-securing bracket for attachment to a rail of a Venetian blind by means of which the slatsupporting tapes may be detachably secured to said rail.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a tape-securing bracket for attachment to the rail of a Venetian blind which is of such construction that it can be made from relatively light gauge metal and yet is readily adapted to support the load to which it is subjected without bending or deformation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tape-securing bracket adapted to beattached to a rail of a Venetian blind by means of which both the Slat-supporting tapes and the raising and lowering cords of the blind may be detachably secured to the rail whereby to permit the blind to be readily dismantled and reassembled.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tape-securing bracket for attachment to the rail of a Venetian blind which avoids undesirable creases, wrinkles, or bellying in the tapes and effects a smooth, attractive, and unbellied appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident upon reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description thereof.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational View of a Venetian blind showing a bracket comprising one specific embodiment of my invention as used in conjunction with the lower rail of the blind;

Fig. 2 is an end View taken along the lines 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing the bracket in side elevation and the bottom rail in cross-section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan View of the bracket taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of the bracket and rail showing the manner of manipulating the bracket during attachment or detachment of the tapes.

The particular form of tape-securing bracket depicted in the drawing for purposes of illustration is shown as mounted on the bottom rail of a Venetian blind. However, it will be understood that the bracket may be used with equally satisfactory results on the top rail of the blind.

The bracket, indicated generally at Ill, is secured in a rectangular recess or pocket II which is cut out of the top surface of a bottom rail I2. By means hereinafter described in detail, the lower ends of a Slat-supporting tape comprising front and rear tape members I3 and I4 are detachably secured to the bracket I0. The usual transverse rungs indicated at I6 extend between the tape members I3 and I4 for supporting the slats of the blind as indicated at I1. A cord I8 for raising and lowering the blind extends downwardly through openings in the slats I1 between the tape members I3 and M and is detachably secured at its lower end, by means hereinafter described in detail, to the bracket Ill. It will thus be seen that the bracket I9 detachably secures both the Slat-supporting tape and the cord of the blind to the bottom rail, it being understood that a similar combination of bracket, tape, and cord is provided at the opposite end of the blind in the customary manner.

The bracket I comprises a `body member having a flat central portion or fastening plate I9 provided with a pair of spaced apertures to permit attachment of the bracket by means of a pair of screws 2I to the bottom of the` recess I I in the rail I2. Depending downwardly at each end of the central portion I9 and extending laterally on each side thereof are elongated parallel legs or flanges 22, the bottom edges of which abut the bottom of the recess II whereby to position the portion I9 in substantially coplanar or flush relation with the upper surface of the rail I2, and the end faces of which abut the sides of the recess II. The central portion I9 ofi-the bracket'is also provided with a keyhole-slot 23'! having a portion 23 at one end of relatively large diameter and a longitudinally extending portion 25E of lesser width. The elongated portion 251 is of slightly tapering conformation with thenarrowest dimension being at the juncture of the-portions 24 and 25, as indicated at 29.

Projecting inwardly from the top edges-ofv the flanges 22, and in laterally spaced coplanar relationship with respect to the central portion I 9, isa pair ofv opposed tape-securing arms 21 and Z8 which are integral with the flanges 22. As best seen in Fig. 3; the armsf2I and 28 extending toward each other from the oppositelydisposedfanges 22 are of diierent lengths, the arm 28'fbeing shorter than the arm 2l', and the innermost'free ends-of the arms ZIand 28 are spaced from each other as indicated at 29: A correspending-pair of tape-securing arms 30-and 3I is provided at the opposite side of the central portion I9 with-the free ends thereof being spaced as at 32. Instead of thev twoY piece construction shown in the drawing, I may also provide single arms extending across the bracket and secured at'only one end thereof to one-of the flanges 22.

The opposite ends of the lianges 22 are formed at their upper edges with inwardly extending tabsor ears 33 and 313 which are coplanar with thecentral portion I9 and with the tape-securing arms and are spaced from the latter. An elongated tape-engaging side member in the form of a bar 3&5*y of U-shapedl cross-section is pivotally secured at one end to one of the ears 34 by means of a pin or rivet 3l and is swingable about the pin 3l toward and away from the bracket. The upper and lower sides of the-bar 36 are slightly pinched or crimped toward each other'atthe free end, as indicated at 38v in Fig. whereby when the .bar 3B is in closed'position, theY corresponding ear 33 may be receivedV in tight; fitting recessed relation within the bar 36 for retaining the same in closed position. A similar tape-engagingbar 39 is pivotally mounted onA the other earl 3a on the opposite side of the bracket I9 andl coacts in the same manner with the other earU 33.

The ends of the tape members I3 and I4 are stitched as at 4I] to-form loops 4I', as seen most clearly inI Fig. 4, through which the pairs of tape-securing arms 21, 28` and 33, 3'! are inserted for attaching the tapes tothe bracket' I0. The

the bottomrail is involved.

clearance or space 29 between the free ends of the arms 21 and 28, and the corresponding space 32 between the arms 30 and 3 I, permit the looped ends 4I of the tape members I3 and I4 to be readily slipped over or removed from the tapesecuring arms. When the blind is in assembled condition, the tape members I3 and I4 extend linearly and outwardly from the looped ends 4I, which are, retained by thev tape-securing arms 2'I, 28 and 3i), 3l, pass beneath and around the bars 36 and 39, and thence extend upwardly and perpendicularly from the rail I2. It will be seen that by this arrangement the direction of the tape members I3 and I4 is changed from a substantially horizontal to a vertical path whereby the weight of the rail I2 is carried to a large extent by the bars 35 and 39 around which the tape .members pass. Thus, the full force due to the weight of the rail I2 and resulting during the tilting operation is not imposed upon the tapesecuringarms 2l, 28 andz 30, 3I which, being rigidly secured at only one end, would tend to be bent or distorted' upwardly'from the plane of the bracket if the tape members I3 and I4 extended directly upwardly therefrom without first passing beneath thebars 33 and 39. Bythe present arrangementLthe force which would-otherwise-tend to bend the arms 2l, 28 and 30, 3l upwardly is converted to a substantially lateral orgene-rally edgewise'pull to which the relatively thinfiat arms are obviously much more resistant in View of their integral formation with the anges 222.

When the tape-securing bracket Il) is mounted on aniupperrail or; tilting rail, the forces acting on the tape-securing arms are even greater inasmuch as the upper brackets support the entire weight of the-slats and bottom rail. Accordingly, the provision ofthe tape-engaging side bars 35 and 39 to diminish the load on the arms and to convert theforces froml a direct downward pull to a generally sidewise of lateral force is even more important than in the case illustratedV in the drawing where only the weight' of It will be understood that when the bracket I0 is thus employed in combination with an upper horizontal rail (not shown) the tape members I3 and I4I will extend linearly and outwardly from the tapesecuring arms, will pass over and around the side bars (instead of under the side bars), and will thence extend downwardly from the rail.

Although in the form of the invention shown herein, for purposes of illustration, the bars 36 and r39 vare hingedly or pivotally attached to the ears34, it is also-within the scope of lmy invention to provide side bars which are integrall at both ends with theflanges 22 or to provide connectionsl at both ends of thev bars 36 and 39 for rigidly or detachably ysecuring the same to the ears 33'andV 39.' However,- thepivotal mounting of the bars, as shown in thedrawing, facilitates the-operation lof-'attaching or-'detaching the tapes as described below.

The lower end ofthel cord I3 is provided'with anenlarged member or ferrule 42 crimped thereto, the ferrule being of dimensions such that it can be readily inserted through the enlarged portion 24fof thekeyhole slot 23. Whenthe'cord I8is thereafter movedl sidewise into the-narrow portion '25, the ferrule; 4.2r engages the bottom edges of the slot for raising the blind when desired. The width of the restricted portion 26 ofthe slot 23 is such thatfthe cord IB" must be compressed slightly to pass-from the portion 274 to the elongated portion 2'5, the restriction 26 thereby serving to retain the cord I8 within the portion 25 to insure Contact of the ferrule 42 with the bracket. If desired, other forms of cord retaining means or locking members may be employed, e. g. such as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 71,516, led January 18, 1949. If the bracket le is mounted on an upper rail, as hereinbefore referred to, the slot 23 may comprise merely an aperture to permit the cord I8 to extend freely therethrough and the upper rail per se will be provided with a similar and registering aperture. An additional recess 43 is provided in the lower surface of the recess II in the rail I2 and is of elongated character disposed beneath the keyhole slot 23 in order to provide room for vertical and sidewise movement of the end of the cord I8 and the ferrule 42 during attachment and detachment of the cord with respect to the bracket I0.

In order to detach the tape members I3 and I4 and the cord I8 from the bracket I0, the bottom rail I2 is first lifted to remove the Weight from the tapes and cord. With the slack produced in the tapes I3 and I4 by lifting of the rail I2, clearance is thereby provided to permit swinging of the bars 36 and 39 to open position, as seen in Fig. 5, and the looped ends 4I of the tape members may then be removed by obvious manipulations from the tape-supporting arms through the spaces 29 and 32. To detach the cord I8, the cord is displaced sidewise through the restriction 26 to the enlarged portion 24 of the slot 23 in which position the ferrule 42 may then be withdrawn upwardly through the slot 23. rhe cord I8 and the corresponding cord at the other end of the blind having been detached and pulled upwardly, the slats of the blind may then be readily removed, and upon detachment of the tapes from similar brackets on the top rail of the blind, the tapes also are disconnected for washing or cleaning. It will be apparent that to reassemble the blind, the looped ends 4I of the tape members are slipped through the spaces 2S and 32 and the tape-securing arms inserted therethrough, the bars 36 and 39 are swung to closed position, the slats of the blind are inserted endwise between the tape members, and finally the cord is threaded downwardly through the slats and is secured in the slot 23 as hereinbeiore described.

If, as hereinbefore mentioned, the tape-engaging side bars 36 and 39 are rigidly and permanently secured at both ends to the ears 33 and 3G instead of being pivotally secured at only one end, it will be necessary to thread the looped ends 4I of the tape members through the spaces between the bottom of the recess I I and the bars 3S and 39 in order to attach the tapes to the arms 21, 28 and 38, 3|. It will be apparent that the pivotal mounting of the bars 36 and 39 greatly facilitates the step of attaching the tape members to the bracket since the necessity for threading the tape members under the bars is thereby eliminated.

The tape-securing bracket comprising the present invention possesses a number of irnportant advantages because the full weight of the blind or the bottom rail is not imposed directly upon the tape-securing arms, and the brackets may, therefore, be formed from relatively light gauge metal in a single stamping operation employing dies of comparatively simple construction. The provision of pivotally mounted tape-engaging side bars which are adapted to bear a substantial portion of the load imposed upon the bracket avoids undesirable bending or distortion of the tape-securing arms. Furthermore, all stitching of the tapes at the looped ends thereof is effectively concealed by the side bars when in closed position thereby presenting a neat appearance.

It hasbeen found that even if the bracket is formed from relatively heavy gauge metal with the side bars omitted and with the tapes extending directly from relatively stiff tape-securing arms of the character herein described comprising oppositely extending arms with a spaced portion between the free ends thereof, the result is an unsightly creased or bellied appearance running throughout a considerable portion of Athe length of the tapes due to the lack of support at the spaced portions between the arms. By avoiding direct vertical extension of the tapes from arms of this character, I also eliminate such unattractive and undesired creasing or bellying. By extending the tape members outwardly from the arms around the side bars and vertically therefrom, any bellying is coniined to the concealed horizontal portions of the tapes and a smooth flat tape surface is provided on the vertical exposed portion which remains free of all undesirable wrinkles and creases even during use of the blind.

It will also be apparent that the brackets herein described are readily adapted for use with all types of Venetian blinds and are of such simple construction that the tapes and cords may be detached therefrom and re-attached thereto by simple operations requiring neither special tools nor any particular degree of mechanical ability.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described in connection with one particular embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various equivalent structures and modifications of the device may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bracket for detachably securing the ends of a Slat-supporting tape to a rail of a Venetian blind, comprising a body member having a central portion adapted to be secured to a rail, spaced tape-securing arms disposed on opposite sides of said central portion and adapted to detachably retain the end portions of a tape, and a pair of elongated tape-engaging side membersdisposed outwardly of said arms, each of said side members being pivotally secured at one end thereof at opposite sides of said body member and adapted to be positioned in parallel, non-clamping, spaced relation with respect to said arms whereby to permit the tape members to extend from said arms, around said side members, and thence outwardly from the bracket, said side members being swingable about their pivoted ends to open position for facilitating attachment of the tape to and detachment thereof from said arms.

2. A bracket for detachably securing the ends of a Slat-supporting tape to a rail of a Venetian blind, comprising a body member having a central portion adapted to be secured to a rail, spaced tape-securing arms disposed on opposite sides of said central portion and adapted to detachably retain the end portions of a tape, a pair of elongated tape-engaging side members disposed outwardly of said arms, each of said side members being pivotally secured at one end thereof at opposite sides of said body member, and means on said body member coacting with the free ends of said side membersr for releasably holding the latter inwardly of the body member in parallel, nonclamping, spaced relation with said arms whereby to, permit the tape members to extend from said arms, around said side members, and thence outwardly from the bracket, said side members being swingable outwardly. from said body member to open position whereby to facilitate attaching and detaching the tape to and from said arms.

3. A bracket for detachably securing the ends of' a slat-supporting tape to a rail of a Venetian blind comprising a body member having a centralportion adapted to be secured to a rail, spaced tape-securing arms extending from said body member longitudinally of the rail on opposite sides. of'. said central portion and-adapted to detachably retain the end portions of a tape, spaced ear portions adjacent the opposite sides of said member in spaced relation from said arms, and a pair of elongated tape-engaging side members disposed outwardly of said arms, each of said side members being pivotally secured at one end thereof to one of said ear portions and having its opposite end free and adapted to engage and be supported by the oppositely disposed ear portion for retaining the side members in parallel, non-clamping, spaced position with respect to said arms whereby the tape members may extend linearly from said arms to said side members, around the latter, and thence vertically away from the bracket.

4. A bracket for detachably securing the ends of a Slat-supporting tape to a rail of a Venetian biind, comprising a one piece body member having a flat central portion adapted to be fastened to a rail, integral lange members disposed at opposite ends of said central portion and extending laterally on each side thereof, said flange members being adapted to abut the sides of a recess in the rail, elongated tape-securing arms extending integrally from the edges of said ilange members on each side of said central portion and spaced therefrom, said arms being adapted to detachably retain the end portions of a tape, ear portions adjacent the ends of said flange members and extending inwardly from the edges thereof in spaced relationship with said arms, said arms and said ear portions being substantially coplanar with said central portion, and a pair of elongated tape-engaging side members each pivotally secured at one end thereof to one of said ear portions and having its opposite free end adaptedto engage the oppositely disposed ear portion for retaining the Side members in parallel, non-clamping, spaced position with respect to 8. saidarms whereby to permitthe tape members to extend' linearly from said arms to said side members, around the latter, and thence generally perpendicul'arly away from the plane of said body member.

5. A bracket for detachably securing the ends of a Slat-supporting tape to a rail of a Venetian blind, comprising a one piece body member having a flat central portion adapted to be fastened to a rail, integral iiange members disposed at opposite ends of said central portion and extending laterally on each side thereof, said flange members being adapted to abut the sides of a recess in the rail, elongated tape-securing arms extending integrally from said flange members on each side of said central portion and in spaced relation therefrom, said arms being adapted to detachably retain the end portions of a tape, ear portions extending inwardly adjacent the ends 1 of said flange members in spaced relation with said arms, and a pair of elongated tape-engaging side members in the form of bars having a generally U-shaped cross-section, each of said bars being pivotally attached at one end thereof to one of said ear portions for swinging movement away from and toward said body member, and the opposite free end of each of said bars being adapted upon movement thereof toward said body member to receive the oppositely disposed ear portion in frictional engagement within said 1-shaped cross-section whereby to retain said bars in position parallel to said arms in spaced non-clamping relation therewith thereby permitting the tape members to extend linearly from y said arms to said side members, around the latter,

and thence generally perpendicularly away from the plane of said body member.

EDWARD E. SCHAEFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,071,791 Hendricks Feb. 23, 1937 2,114,057 Lorentzen Apr. 12, 1938 2,491,181 Hunter Dec. 13, 1949 2,527,104 Schaefer Oct. 24, 1950 2,534,080 Stuber et al Dec. 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,118 Great Britain 1914 

